GO SEAHAWKS!!

So Julia's preschool teacher requested that today the kids wear something supporting their dad's favorite sports team........Chris's favorite team, of course, are the Seahawks.  I just found this out friday, so yesterday Lauren and I went out in search for Seahawks stuff........ since all we have is a hat (that was at Chris work desk) and a shirt that was so huge that we couldn't make a dress out of it.

Here was the dilemma........ Arizona peeps are VERY serious about their sports teams.  VERY SERIOUS.  So, going in stores asking for Seahawks stuff really was---well a joke.  We had lots of people laugh at us, seriously, they laughed! 

Finally we found a store that had a few things:  a womans hat (for 48.00, ummm.  NO), a men's hat (for 37.00... ummm NO), a window flag for a car, a window decal, and some bobbleheads.  My daughter almost went to school decorated with a window decal safety pinned to her shirt and waving a window flag!  Then, just as I was going to the register with said items, I found temporary tattoos.  THAT'S IT! 

So, Julia went to school in a white t-shirt, blue jeans, (princess shoes :-)), and tattoos supporting her favorite team!  Oh, and before she left she went over to her daddy for his approval.  He was on the phone, so a pat on the head showed Julia she had done well, and she gave a big smile and pranced on her merry way!

(Why is my phone so blurry lately--so annoying... and notice no stain on her shirt!)

(Don't mind the stain on her shirt, this was after school and red fruit punch drink!)

I will feel better if I just blog.........

So, I am sitting here, wanting to blog but not wanting to blog.  I guess more of I want there to be a post, but don't want to sit here and make one.  I have procrastinated by reading my old posts (which I must add are hilarious!!!!!  I was cracking myself up) and looking at my old facebook posts and pics (in which my KIDS cracked me up). I really do love my life---most of the time :-)

Today I had to work a little bit, so I went to see my patients.  It is always a surprise when you walk in the doors, you never really know what the day will hold.  My 1st patient I had to have a family discussion on the end of life decisions and hospice discussions.............. and then the 2nd I was schooled for an hour about Jackie Kennedy Onasis jewelry on QVC.   Very interesting variations.

Then I made my way home and took the kids out to the front yard (cul-da-sac) and let them ride their scooters!  It is a beautiful day in Arizona, a warm 85.  The kids came in all out of breath and putting ice packs on their heads!  I guess they still have some acclimating to do.

And now, I am sitting in my husbands super comfy recliner, blogging, and thinking of all the things I should be doing but am not.

I guess I could also talk about yesterday.... Joshua had to have an appt for his congenital hypothyroidism, and since it has been a hectic year+, I have been slightly negligent in getting him looked at, so we went to his new Dr, and of course she ordered labs and then she felt something weird near his thyroid, so also an ultrasound.  He has not had an ultrasound since he was itty bitty, so I am curious to what is happening in there.  He was so funny, he said to the dr "I need my blood checked every year, and we didn't do it in 2013, so I need a blood draw today".    What he really wanted was the ice cream he gets after blood draws or shots....... but still asking to be poked at the age of 7 is pretty good.  So, after the dr office we went to the nearest open lab for the blood draw.  Joshua, still cool as a cucumber, sauntered on in the office.  No worries in the world.  Then as we were sitting there, a little girl (about 4) had to go get labs done, she did not appreciate the process much, and of course they missed so she had to do it twice.  During all this screaming, Joshua got a little concerned, but still put on his brave face when they called him back.  He sat in the seat by himself, put out his arms, held still and only winced when they poked and got the blood.  He watched the entire time and did great!  This is far better than the last time we did this and I had to hold him down, and they had to try 4 times to be successful.  FAR better experience.  LOL, MAYBE I can handle him having his blood drawn every year now.

I will update you on results when they all come in! 

My Work Situation

So, I said I would explain my work situation and now I have a few minutes, so I will.

As most of you know, I have been a labor and delivery nurse for 15 yrs.  And during those 15 yrs have grown to LOVE that area of expertise.  When we moved to Arizona, we had no support system, so me working a day shift was impossible since we had no way of finding childcare and we didn't really even know enough about the area to feel comfortable in searching.  Also, because of my mental health, I could not work nights, so it just didn't work all the way around.

So, I tried a new adventure---Home Health.  It was something new, something more to learn, and had great hours that enabled me to take my older children to and from school, take Julia to and from preschool..... and with some maneuvering, do school activities and such.

So since October I have been doing Home Health.  And to be perfectly honest, after 6 months I am burnt out.  It isn't the care of the patients that is the problem, it is all the other issues.  Fighting with dr offices to follow patients, dealing with noncompliance of patients and families.  Being argued with, demeaned, and ignored.  And then the fact that work never ends.  I have patients that call at 3am, that call 6 times a day---everyday.  My days off are consumed with phone calls and charting.  It is exhausting.

I have just found out the hard way that L&D is a better fit.  You get a patient, they do their job (deliver).  If they don't do their job then you do it for them (c-section), then you have them for 2-3 days and they go home all happy and healthy.  (We all know there are exceptions.) 

So, the moral of this story is I am an L&D nurse through and through.  And I am awesome at it!  I can give so much to my patients while I am there, and then come home and have some to give to my family and myself to.  My plan is to seek new employment in this field when the kids are in school fulltime and I can find a way to juggle it all.

I think I am back! :-)

I have been bad about blogging.  Horrible.  Terrible.  Neglectful.  And for all of those reasons, I am sorry.  The move to Arizona was a big one, with lots of stress and some struggles, but is working out well and I am LOVING it here. 

Chris had some struggles with a neck issue and surgery followed, but after 3 months he is on the mend, doing well, and our lives are starting to get back to normal.

Lauren is loving school and doing so well!  She is growing up to be a wonderful (and slightly mouthy) young lady, turned 10 in December and I am sure will be taller than me any day now!  She loves crafts and writing, is in the choir and actually has a voice!  I was amazed when I heard that.  HAHAH. 

Joshua is also doing well in school.  I can't say he as much of a fan as the girls are, but he does his job and goes to school, gets good grades, and comes home to his love---xbox.  He (well actually all of them) very much enjoy playing video games, kindles, etc.  He is also into legos and loves to read!  The other day I took all of them to the library, and you would think we were in a candy store, we couldn't care the stuff out when we were done!

Julia.  What to say about Julia.  She just turned 5, is the pride of her preschool teachers eye, and is the most happy, joyful child ever.  She is always dancing, singing, prancing around the house.  I often say "Julia is in Julia's world".  She just lives in such a different world than us---a wonderful and happy world.  I love it!  (Right now she is actually mopping and scrubbing the floor.  There is a lot of water involved in this process, but I must say, she is a mopper in the making!)

And then there is me.  I am doing so well down here!  Arizona was a great move for me.  My depression is quite manageable here, the sun is always shining and I make a point to sit in it for at least an hour a day.  Actually Chris and I sit outside in the afternoons, chatting, and just relaxing.  It has centered me and in a lot of ways helped me heal.  I have worked since October, but decided to take the summer off to spend time with the kids.  They are at wonderful ages, I am in a great mental place, I am going to take advantage of it!  BTW--summers in Arizona start early, and mine actually started last week!  :-)  I have a few more patients I am seeing (I am working home health, which will take another blog post to explain) and I should be done really soon.  But right now I am only working saturdays for a few hours, so it is easy peasy!

Well, that is all for now!  I will try to make more posts so that I can share with you the last years goings on.  But, I tend to do better in the summers, so I am hoping to at the very least, keep up. 

Joshua is swimming without floaties

Guess who isn't wearing floaties anymore?  That would be my little Joshua-boy!!!!!  I am so proud of him, I took the floaties off the day before yesterday, and yesterday he spent the whole 2 hours at the pool without them.  Now, I must admit he is NOT a strong swimmer, and I think I had a billion mini-heart attacks, and 2 jumping up to jump in, however he pulled through.  It is really important to me that they can, at the very least, save themselves if they fall into a pool----considering we are looking for a house with a pool.

Joshua now jumps into the 5 feet section of the pool (of which he of course cannot touch) and then swims back proudly.

AND, Julia is jumping in the pool willingly and by herself!   When we first got here, she wouldn't even put her face in the water, but you should see her now!

Mother's Day Trip to Sedona

For this Mother's Day, out of all the things I could have chosen, I chose a trip to Sedona.  We packed everyone up, stopped and grabbed a picnic-ish lunch, and embarked on our way.   The 2 hours seemed to take a little longer than usual, however the sites at the destination were fabulous.  It also rocked that it went from 100 degrees to 79.  :-)

On the way we stopped at a park in Anthem, Az.  This is a unique community that I would actually love to live in, however it is a far commute for Chris, so off limits!  It had a wonderful park with play equipment, a train ride, pond for fishing, baseball fields and basketball courts.  So, we let the kids run around a little bit and burn off some energy (as well as a layer of skin) and then we headed on our journey.

Before we moved here, I had this picture of Arizona as a flat desert without color (other than brown and peach)..... But, there are actually colors here!  Flowers, bushes, colorful cacti, and we even found huge trees!

Thank you to my wonderful family for taking me on my Mother's Day Trek, and even more so for making me a Mommy!  Lauren, Joshua, and Julia, you are the best kids any Mom could ever ask for.  Even though you are sometimes loud and disobedient, you are also all kindhearted, sweet, smart, moral, and I am so proud to have you call me Mommy.  Also, thank you to Chris for making me a Mommy as well as putting in all the effort towards me having a great day.

Free at last

Today we ventured out of the hotel, to the grassy area across the parking lot (still a part of the hotel).  I was brave and let all the kids and dog run and play undisturbed (rather than hovering..... waiting for the bad bug, the burrs that are in the grass, bees, cars that may be coming etc. 

They had a good time, although I did hear complaints on how hot it was! LOL

Also, the dog got to run free (with a leash on so we could catch her easier) and she was just going mad nuts chasing Sonic frisbees from kids meals.

So cute!  Wonder what we are going to do tomorrow........

A new park

Yesterday was the first day I actually ventured out of the hotel to find some entertainment for the kids.  We found this really cool park in Chandler, AZ.  Yesterday was not super hot---maybe 84--- so it was nice to just hang out.

The park

Playing leap frog

Joshua's SUPER jump

Lauren is getting so big

Julia making sand angels

And there was a small water area, so yes, my kids were playing in the water at 10am.....  

And I learned 1 thing...... SONIC SHAKES ARE BAAAAAD.  I spent the whole afternoon curled up on the couch.  Why can't I just learn, I can't do fattening things like that.  But it was oreo cheesecake!

How can he even eat?

Joshua has been a tooth loosing machine this year.   He finally lost his 6th tooth..... Now that tooth was stubborn.  It was one of the top center ones, and as soon as its mate fell out (a few months ago), it dangled sideways and wiggled to and fro.

I called him snaggletooth!  Although I had to be careful, Joshua is a little sensitive when it comes to nicknames and such.  But that tooth was hilarious!  He would constantly wiggle and turn it side to side, totally grossing me out.  He knew I felt this way, which just made him do it more!  (Stinker)

Anyway, it is now out.  He yanked that thing out like a champ.  And there it was.  Snaggletooth in all its glory.

Then I wanted a picture.  Joshua isn't a big fan of pictures.  I had to succumb to bribery.  He said if I got him ice cream, I could have exactly 1 picture "So make it count".  So, I dutifully went and got him his favorite Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream and got my 1 picture.

Oh, and when I asked him how he could eat he said he is just going to have to "survive on pudding, ice cream, and applesauce."   Funny boy.

I am that kind of Mom

Things that I never thought I would do pre-kids.....

My kids are "those kids" at the pool that are doing cannonballs and getting all the adults wet.   Shoot, if you don't wanna get wet, don't come to the pool!

My kids on occasion have worn clothes two days in a row, and just to top it off, wore them to bed to.   I am neglectful, please arrest me :-)  Do I get my own cell?

They have had peanut and butter sandwiches 3 lunches in a row, but we are living in a hotel!

My 4 year old has nightmares and crawls into bed with us.  And to be honest, I would love for her to sleep with us every night.  

My son knows what going #1 and #2 means AND he has named 3,4,5,6. (5 being pregnancy....didn't know he even knew that word.) 

We don't usually have cable---we don't like the influential commercials (just to name 1 of the reasons) and 7 days of cable and my kids are singing the Swiffer commercial (who's that lady??? Sexy lady) and I don't know whether to laugh or punish. 

We accidentally swear in front of our kids..... and Joshua has figured out that "Shit is another name for poop" 

Julia announces that she toots whenever one pops out.   This is completely our fault, but her being 4 and still poops in a pull up (sore subject), we make her aware of all her functions and congratulates her when anything occurs in the toilet.

But after all that (and many more) I still get random compliments on my kids good, kind, respectful behavior from perfect strangers.  Lauren was told she was a sweet and kind girl with great manners from a lady at the continental breakfast today due to her thoughtful ways.  

Maybe I am not that bad.

A Day at the Pool

Today (like yesterday, but I got pictures this time) we visited the hotel pool.   The kids are having such a great time swimming the day away, and there is another family here doing the same thing we are (looking for a house/relocating) and there are 2 kids (9 and 5) that come to the pool as well.  I am glad the kids have made a couple of friends, and it isn't too shabby I have adult interaction throughout the day as well.  Although, I should probably reach out and actually ask her her name! HAHA, we both know our kids names because we are constantly yelling for them to be careful, not jump on each other, don't push etc, but our names have never come up.  Weird. 

Anyway, tonight I have the fun activity of LAUNDRY to partake in!  OH SO FUN!  But at least I get some alone time while I do it.  :-)

Oh yeah, and yesterday I rocked it and actually made chicken fajitas in a hotel room!  Go me!

Here are some pics to enjoy for those of you not in 100 degree weather.

    Wow, it has been nearly a year since I last posted.  So much has happened, and I doubt I can fill everyone up on everything, so here are the highlights! 
     First, it was a really bad year.  Not really willing to go into details, but it was a horrible year.  The hardest year of my life thus far, and I have been through some bad "stuff".
     We were successful in selling our house!  It only took......... 10 months. :-(   But in February we finally were able to close, and move into a rental.  The rental didn't work out so well (it had a room that smelled horrible of urine---but didn't smell until we moved in and turned on the heat.  It was horrible, and after replacing carpets and sealing the floor etc, we determined it was in the vents and just didn't find it worth it to continue to work with the landlords.  IT WAS SO GROSS).  We finally broke our lease and moved on to our next adventure!
     Chris got a job and we have relocated to Arizona.  We actually just did this the other day (got here on Saturday) and are currently staying in a hotel.  Today is his first day of work and my first day with 3 kids and a dog in a hotel room by myself..........

     So, there is my short and sweet catch up.  I have been looking forward to starting my blog again for awhile, and now that I have, I can keep you all updated on our new Arizona adventure.

Lots of love,
Heather

End of the year Teacher Gifts

I try to thank my kids teachers for putting up with them teaching them so well at the end of the year!  This is what I came up with this year!  Also, included, will be a card made from the kids and probably a starbucks gift card.....


This is for Joshua's Teacher

And Lauren's Teacher